A rising threat of attacks

Cyber-attacks are getting deadlier day-by-day, and every organization in the UAE is at threat – large and small.

According to reports, the cost of cyber crime damages will reach a yearly average of 6 trillion dollars by the year 2021. These numbers mean that most companies which were established this year will be out of business in the next few months if they’re not careful!

Every business is in danger

As a small business owner, you may feel safe thinking it’s only larger organizations that are targeted. After all, what good would it do a hacker to target a company which isn’t even profitable yet, right?

Wrong!

Hackers specifically go after SMEs because they know these companies can’t afford to spend big on security. Unsecured networks are the easiest to exploit, and the damage is usually fatal for businesses owners.

Even more worrying is the fact that 93% of companies which had no access to their own data for 10 days or more filed for bankruptcy within a year, and almost half of all victims filed for bankruptcy immediately!So what can you do to protect your networks?

Outsource your security

Now that you understand how serious the threat is, it’s time to talk about solutions!

As mentioned earlier, smaller businesses don’t have the financial means to hire and train their own specialized IT staff that can watch over network safety 24/7.

The easiest way around the problem for these companies is to outsource their IT networks to one of the many security consulting Dubai based firms.

3rd party security consultants offer SMEs a ton of great benefits, like:

Reduced costs: By relying on the services of another organization, SMEs cut down on additional overheads like employee salaries and bonuses, office rent, training for the employees, etc.

Easier management: service providers take away the hassle that comes with managing an in-house team at the office.

Professional services: Instead of wasting time and resources in hiring and training a team, third party firms offer professional expertise throughout the period of the contract.

Time management: It can take anywhere from 18-24 months to set up an in-house security center, which is a luxury small businesses can’t afford. By outsourcing, a company’s networks are protected right from the get-go!

There are, however, a few considerations you’ll need to keep in mind.

Outsourcing your network’s security means you’re effectively handing the keys of the business over to someone else. If they’re not trustworthy, you run the risk of trade secrets getting leaked to your competitors.

Here are a few tips on outsourcing smartly:

4 tips for secure IT outsourcing

Conduct a penetration test on your networks before you talk to a vendor. This will help you figure out where the vulnerabilities actually lie, and what the best course of action will be.

Get your own house staff in order first. The security services provider is going to be working closely with your in-house team, so make sure they understand the organization’s needs before a third party is brought in.

Contact an ELV design consultant Dubai based firm and sort out the physical security of your business alongside the virtual. You don’t want to spend all this money on an outsourced solution, only to have your business damaged from petty theft and vandalism.

And finally, choose your vendor carefully. Ask them what kind of experience they have dealing with companies of your size and stature, and talk to their clients. Get first hand details of how the company implements its solutions and how effective they’ve proven to be for other people.

Conclusion

In an age where businesses are constantly under threat from cyber crime and hackers, make the smart choice for your company and outsource its network security!

Security consultants offer SMEs across the UAE a ton of great benefits at surprisingly low costs. You can rest assured your networks are going to be in safe hands, as long as you’re smart about the choice of vendor!

What contributes to the design of inefficient security mechanism for the network? This is a tough question since after all the preparation the hackers are able to breach the network.

What is your priority in setting up high quality security protocols? Surely every method must be deployed that can improve the vivacity of the security network. However, as new types of malwares have been steadily growing the need to design quality security protocols was never as significant.

​What can you contribute to the existing security mechanism? The value of the endeavor is massive and the specialty required to specify what needs to be done is great.

In such trying conditions when you cannot afford any blemish it would be prudent to design a customized security model for the network. You need to test and testify the value of every security protocol that has been enacted for the network security.

Your POS terminals and other ATM machines are a prime target for the hackers. The access of the vulnerabilities to the hackers is a major concern for the management.

You need to determine your existing credential to analyze how any potential breach can be averted in its entirety. Look for the trends that can ascertain what you have been lacking in securing the network parameters.

How your security mechanism converges with different access points is the building block for designing quality security mechanisms. The security audit that will be carried out forms the basis for implementing consistent security solutions for the network.

You need to scan each and every element of the network to ensure that the applications are not prone to any vulnerability. However the benchmark that is developed for the audit will always be significant in distributing the instrumental value of the endeavor across the board.

The interdependency of the network variables deems it essential to scrutinize the apparent and hidden factors that can cause damage in whatever capacity. Some elements may be difficult to detect and the services of an expert may become invaluable.

The expert can establish the most favorable approach that must be exercised in identifying the vulnerabilities across the network.

VAPT testing can justify the investment that management wants to make in carrying out a relevant network security audit.

You need to stay ahead of the hackers. This is the underlying rationale that will help you in fortifying the perimeters of your network. VAPT testing can remove all your apprehensions.

Reputational risk is always present in the business. It always has and always will. Your reputation is like a toilet paper. People throw it away once they utilize it and forget its utility; your reputation is just like a toilet paper; once you get exposed people will not trust you. Furthermore, experts believe that the industry specific identification of different risks can also reveal different approaches that must be deployed in safeguarding the assets. Do you have a dedicated security mechanism that addresses the issues holistically?

The level of security influence enhances significantly when you are globally connected. Network security assessmentwill make you accept the fact that risks exist and can cause havoc. Acceptance does not imply that you care less for the exposure of assets. It signifies that the cost associated with the exposure must be reduced by the organization. Why would customers engage with your business if you are unable to provide them with data security? How much do you spend in analyzing different types of risks? The more time you spend the better the assessment of different procedures and more robust safety mechanism can be constructed. How well have you transferred the risk?

At what levels the risk must be transferred is important in highlighting different areas of priority. Do you have the relevant resources to mitigate the risk? Have you installed specialized software for different applications? Do you employ an application based approach or undertake the network as a whole system in defining risk and threats? What resources have you allocated to the systems in mitigating the risk? What is the incremental value of these resources? Network security assessment designs the chain of the command and service provision required to protect the system set the tone how the parameters would be built.